Page 49 of Best Kept Secret
“You should petition to rename her,” I quip.
“Besides, it’s not even that cold,” she adds with a distinct tremble in her voice.
I roll my eyes. What a stubborn ass.
“C’mere, Red.” Throwing my arm around her shoulders, I pull her in close, holding her.
I feel her sag against me, still shivering, but relaxing into my warmth, and for a long moment, as the boat putters down the Hudson, we sit in a companionable silence as the tour guide’s voice crackles over the speaker, the tourists behind us talking in their native language, pointing in wonder at One World Trade Center and snapping photos, and the small group of kindergartners wearing bright yellow safety vests over their coats on some field trip squeal with glee. And, this moment right here, with Millie pressed against me, as the sun shines down from a bright blue sky with Manhattan providing a pretty impressive backdrop, this is my favorite moment.
I know I need to tell her what last night was about. She deserves to know. Hell, as far as I’m concerned, she saved my life last night. And she’s the first person I’ve ever told about Levi. Of course, people know about my brother—he was one of the top college hockey players destined for the drafts—but they don’t know the truth. No one does. And I want to tell her. I do. I’m just scared. I’m scared to let anyone into that part of my life because, frankly, it’s a shit show, and the last person I want to wind up as collateral damage is Millie.
“There she is!” Millie squeals, sitting up higher, startling me.
I track her gaze to see that we’re approaching the Statue of Liberty, the excitement from the people on the top deck of the boat ramping up.
“Will you take a photo of me?” She hands me her phone, turning to me, so the statue is just over her left shoulder.
I click a few snaps, smiling as she makes a few silly poses, and when I see the images on the screen, I can’t help but grin. But then I’m interrupted by a tap on my shoulder and I stiffen, immediately assuming I’ve been recognized. When I turn to see one of the Asian tourists smiling at me, pointing from me to Millie to the statue, I heave a relieved sigh.
“Hey,” I say with a curious smile.
“I take photo? For you and… wife?”
Wife? Holy shit. Who knew that word could sound so… hot?
“Oh, um, I-I—” Unable to find the words I need, I fumble with Millie’s phone, feeling my cheeks flame.
“That would beamazing.” Millie swoops in, snatching her phone from my hands and passing it to the tourist. She looks at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, a goofy smile curling her lips. “Come on,honey.” She winks at me. “Take a cute photo with yourwife.”
And my dick’s hard. Cool.
I turn, smiling probably awkward as hell at the woman holding Millie’s phone, just as Millie takes a seat directly on my lap, right where my dick is standing to attention. I will the big guy to deflate, thinking of the most disgusting things I can possibly imagine.Rusty’s hairy ass. Rusty’s hairy ass. Rusty’s hairy ass. But it’s no use. Not even the thick carpet of fuzz covering Rusty’s ass cheeks is enough to dispel my erection. With Millie’s ass rubbing up against it, with her curves literally in the palm of my hand, her sweet scent swirling around me, I’m basically twelve-year-old Logan again, witnessing his first pair of boobs bouncing in his poor, unsuspecting face during co-ed gym class.
Before I know it, the tourist hands Millie back her phone and the moment is over, Millie sliding off my lap and settling in nextto me again. She moves my arm and wraps it around her shoulders, and I shift in my seat, readjusting myself as inconspicuously as I can. Glancing sideways, I find her smiling down at her phone, thankfully none the wiser to my boner and so goddamn adorable it should be illegal.
“We look so cute together,” Millie coos, holding her phone up so I can see a photo of the two of us in front of the Statue of Liberty, Millie in my lap smiling at the camera, me looking at her like she’s the only woman in the world.
“Yeah.” I nod. Because we do look cute together. In fact, I’d say Millie and I look pretty fucking perfect together.
CHAPTER 24
MILLIE
“Okay, so, for the record, I’m terrified,” I say, holding my arms out, taking one tentative step after another. “My knees are actually shaking.”
“I’ve got you, Red,” Logan’s deep voice rasps close to my ear, causing a shiver to run through me not for the first time today. Thankfully, I’ve been able to blame the cold for my involuntary body tremors because, despite the sunshine, today has been freezing. The kind of cold you feel through to your bones. But the shivers coursing through me right now have little to do with the low temperature and everything to do with the man pressed up against me from behind.
“You promise you’re not going to… I don’t know… throw me over the edge?”
“No.” Logan snorts. “Besides, even if I wanted to, there’s, like, a twenty-foot barrier.”
“How much farther?”
“Just a few more steps,” Logan assures me, his big hands on my waist, steadying me.
The wind is fierce, and since I have my wool hat pulled down over my eyes preventing me from seeing anything, every one of my senses is on high alert, compensating for my lack of vision.
“Okay…” Logan stops me, his breath hot as it fans against the sensitive skin below my ear as he whispers, “You can look.”
